WONDER WOMAN 1984 – WW84 (2020). EXCESSES AND A FAILED OPORTUNITY. MOVIE REVIEW.

Basic expectations for a sequel in WW84.

Patti Jenkins in Wonder Woman 1984/ WW84 fell into the trap of excesses and unnecessary exercises of grandeur, forgetting the small details that made the first installment a fresh adventure and that at the time saved the DC film universe.

It’s 1984, and Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) is a museum curator of ancient objects at the Smithsonian. Her partner Barbara (Kristen Wiig) receives a strange stone to be reviewed and cataloged. The businessman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is also in search of this artifact, since he has magical powers, fulfilling the wishes of people. Diana and Barbara activate the powers of the stone, fulfilling their wishes just before Lord steals the stone. Diana’s wish is not surprising: to see her lover Steve Trevor, who passed away many years ago.

No rhythm.

So far, the premise of the story is interesting, but it is in its execution and development where it fails. And where this is most evident is in the rhythm. The movie is very slow and this is unacceptable for a sequel to a superhero saga. The great advantage of the second part of a saga is that the characters have already been introduced in the first. There is no longer a need to review its origins. This gives you the freedom to spend a little time introducing the new characters and immediately launch the story forward. If the director does this right, he will be able to make a dynamic, action-packed movie. But this is not the case in WW84.

Slow development and bad editing.

The plot takes a long time to develop. The secondary characters are given a lot of time. Besides, Jenkins feels the need to show beautiful images, but that further delay the development of the plot. After stealing an old plane from the Smithsonian, that by the way is fully functional and with enough combustible to fly to Asia (pushing hard the suspension of disbelief) What is the point of displaying fireworks?

An example of lousy continuity and bad editing is evident in the following sequences: After a battle at the White House, the villains take a helicopter ride to a secret government location. Meanwhile, Diana, healing her wounds, discovers her ability to fly from her and we can appreciate her walking through the blue sky with clouds and lightning. The bad guys arrive at the base and start doing their thing. Diana keeps flying. The situation is getting worse in the world. Then we realize Diana is not following the helicopter. She just flew.

Bad geographical sense.

Almost 7 minutes of the film have passed with Wonder Woman flying through the air, . She is seen traveling in a straight line and not circling. Geographically the viewer places Wonder Woman far from her home at Washington DC. Additionally, this flight does not make any sense because she was not following the helicopter. Another excuse to show beautiful images to the detriment of the story.

At this point, Diana reacts, returns to her home in Washington for a weapon, and almost immediately reaches the base for the final confrontation. From her reaction to her arrival at the base (to a location where Diana does not know her location because she is a secret. Plot hole), only a little more than a minute and a half elapsed. Yes. This is how bad the time and location were managed in the film.

Wasted opportunity showcasing the 80s

The film’s advertising campaign relied heavily that it was set in the 1980s. But it was not properly exploited. Just a sequence in a mall, some references trying to be humorous of the ridiculousness of the fashion of that time is the most you get. Jenkins, as a screenwriter, tried to repeat what had gone well in the first film, when Diana arrives in England during WWI, Steve servings as her guide to this new culture that she did not know. In WW84 the roles are reversed. Diana shows Steve the world of the 80s, but without the freshness of the original. They did not even take advantage of putting a good music soundtrack. In the credits, the song of Rio de Duran Duran appears, but I could not identify it in the whole film, nor in the final credits.

WW84 worst movie of the year?

Not by far. Let’s not overreact. There was a lot of hype and certainly, failed to meet the expectations. In WW84 you have some beautiful scenes, Gal Gadot and Pascal, and some accomplishment in costumes and cinematography. The ever-reliable Hans Zimmer provides a good musical score.

Delirium Score